Waste Tire Pyrolysis Oil Upgrading — PatSnap Eureka
Waste Tire Pyrolysis Oil Upgrading Technology Landscape
Over 2 billion tires are produced annually, and crude TPO contains sulfur above 1.0 wt% — far exceeding the 0.1 wt% regulatory limit. This report maps the upgrading technology landscape from hydroprocessing to novel adsorbents across filings from 2007 to 2026.
Turning End-of-Life Tire Oil into Specification-Grade Fuel
Crude TPO is a hydrocarbon-rich liquid yielding 40–60 wt% from thermochemical tire decomposition, with a calorific value of 40–45 MJ/kg comparable to diesel. Its chief commercialization barrier is sulfur content typically above 1.0 wt%, well above the 0.1 wt% regulatory ceiling for transportation fuels, alongside polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and high viscosity fractions that prevent direct engine use.
Four broad upgrading intervention categories have emerged: hydroprocessing and hydrorefining to remove sulfur and stabilize the oil; adsorptive and oxidative desulfurization using solid sorbents or chemical oxidants; fractional distillation and physical separation to obtain specification-grade fuel cuts; and catalytic upgrading using zeolites or metal oxides. The core challenge is achieving ultra-low sulfur diesel specification from an inherently heterogeneous feedstock.
Hydroprocessing is the most commercially advanced approach, with Clean Planet Energy’s patent family describing fractional condensation into heavy, middle, and light fractions followed by adaptive hydro-upgrading with dynamic control. Wastefront AS complements this with an integrated hydroprocessing-distillation system specifically targeting waste tire pyrolysis oil, producing kerosene, naphtha, diesel, and fuel oil grade outputs while recycling byproducts.
Non-hydroprocessing routes face fundamental limitations: oxidative desulfurization with S-ZrO2/SBA-15 achieves at most 59.49% sulfur removal, and photocatalytic TiO2 routes achieve 43.6% — both insufficient for direct ULSD compliance from a greater than 1 wt% starting point. In this dataset, Indian academic institutions account for 5 of the retrieved adsorption- and distillation-focused filings, reflecting active low-capital R&D in jurisdictions with limited hydrogen infrastructure.
Patent Activity by Technology Cluster and Jurisdiction
Retrieved patent filings cluster into three innovation phases — foundational system architecture (2007–2014), laboratory-scale upgrading research (2015–2021), and commercially oriented hydroprocessing integration (2022–2026). Jurisdiction and technology-cluster breakdowns reveal where IP protection is being actively sought.
Patent Filings by Technology Cluster (Dataset Snapshot)
Hydroprocessing and hydrorefining accounts for the largest share of filings in this dataset, followed by system architecture patents from the foundational phase and academic adsorption/distillation work from Indian institutions.
↗ Click bars to exploreFiling Activity by Jurisdiction — Retrieved Records
India (IN) and the United States (US) each account for 7 filings in this dataset, with WO (4), CA (5), GB (3), and AU (3) reflecting multi-jurisdictional validation strategies by commercial players.
↗ Click bars to exploreKey Application Areas for Upgraded Tire Pyrolysis Oil
Upgraded TPO targets four distinct application domains identified across retrieved patents and literature: transportation diesel blending, road construction materials, petrochemical aromatic recovery, and power generation. Each domain differs in technical requirements and market readiness.
Transportation Fuel — Diesel Blending
The dominant application in the dataset, with literature from 2013–2022 evaluating TPO-diesel blends at 10–30% substitution ratios. Wastefront AS and Clean Planet Energy explicitly target commercial-grade ULSD specification. A ternary blend study using soybean biodiesel at up to 30% TPO showed insignificant emission variation relative to neat diesel.
Transportation FuelsRoad Construction — Pyroasphalt
Literature from 2022 demonstrates that tire-derived pyrolysis oil, after aging, can restore viscoelastic properties of oxidized bitumen and increase the reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) proportion in asphalt mixtures. A 2026 IN pending patent by Dare Pranoti Dipak covers preparation of high-performance pyroasphalt from naturally and thermally aged pyrolysis oils derived from solid waste.
Civil EngineeringPetrochemical Feedstock — Aromatics
The sub-140°C light cut of TPO is rich in limonene, styrene, and other aromatics with petrochemical value. Studies from 2021 (Nigeria) and 2023 (Poland) document this analytically. This application is identified in retrieved literature as potentially higher-margin than fuel use, though dedicated patent filings are absent in this dataset — representing a white-space IP opportunity.
PetrochemicalsPower Generation and EOR
Plus5, Inc. (US, 2009) patented use of thermal processing products from tire waste — including liquids and gases — as injection streams for enhanced oil recovery. Yue Shi Tong Ren Tang Australia Pty Ltd (AU, 2017) patented a plant setup using crude TPO in a diesel generator set for electric power production, with pre-treatment to address air quality. Tire-Fuel System Ltd. (CA) also integrates oil recovery with steam turbine operation for electricity generation.
Energy & EORKey Patent Assignees in TPO Upgrading — Dataset Snapshot
In this dataset, 9 distinct assignees account for all named patent filings. Clean Planet Energy holds the highest filing volume in retrieved records with 10+ patents across GB, WO, US, CA, AU, and IN, while Wastefront AS has built the most tire-specific upgrading portfolio with 3 filings (WO 2022, US 2024, US 2025) all carrying active legal status.
Top Assignees by Filing Count — TPO Upgrading (Dataset Snapshot)
↗ Click bars to exploreClean Planet Energy
The highest-volume assignee in this dataset with 10+ patent records across GB, WO, US, CA, AU, and IN jurisdictions filed between 2021 and 2026. Core patents cover fractional condensation of pyrolysis oil into heavy, middle, and light fractions followed by adaptive hydro-upgrading with dynamic control parameters tuned to commercial ULSD specification. A 2025 US pending patent extends the portfolio with a two-stage olefin attenuation variant to prevent catalyst deactivation; IP prosecution remains active across all major jurisdictions.
United KingdomWastefront AS
Wastefront AS holds 3 filings in this dataset (WO 2022, US 2024, US 2025), constituting the most tire-specific upgrading patent portfolio among retrieved records. Patents cover an integrated hydroprocessing-distillation system producing kerosene, naphtha, diesel, and fuel oil grade outputs, plus an adsorptive desulfurization variant using a regenerable adsorbent to selectively capture polar sulfur molecules before distillation. All US filings carry active legal status.
NorwayFrontier Innovations in TPO Upgrading (2024–2026)
The 2024–2026 filing cohort signals a shift from single-product fuel production toward flexible multi-fuel output, low-capital adsorbent systems, and non-fuel valorization routes. Five distinct emerging directions are identifiable in retrieved records.
Multi-Fuel Output Optimization via Integrated Hydroprocessing
Wastefront AS’s 2025 US patent refines its hydroprocessing-distillation combination to produce a configurable slate of fuel products — naphtha, kerosene, diesel, and fuel oil — with byproduct recycling to improve commercial sustainability. This reflects a shift from single-product to flexible refinery-style TPO processing, targeting broader revenue per feedstock tonne. The adsorptive desulfurization variant uses a regenerable adsorbent to selectively capture polar sulfur molecules before distillation.
Waste-Derived Eggshell Adsorbents for Low-Capital Upgrading
IIT Bombay’s 2024 IN patent introduces waste eggshell-derived calcium carbonate as a low-cost, scalable adsorbent to simultaneously reduce sulfur and PAH content in crude TPO. This circular-economy approach — using one waste stream to upgrade another — is directly applicable to developing-country markets where hydrogen infrastructure is absent. The filing is part of a two-patent family (2023 and 2024 IN filings) from IIT Bombay in this dataset.
Hydroprocessing vs. Adsorptive Desulfurization for TPO Upgrading
Click any row to explore further.
| Dimension | Hydroprocessing / Hydrorefining | Adsorptive / Oxidative Desulfurization |
|---|---|---|
| Sulfur Removal Capability | Achieves ULSD specification (<0.1 wt%) from >1.0 wt% feedstock when combined with distillation | ODS with S-ZrO2/SBA-15 achieves up to 59.49% removal; photocatalytic TiO2 achieves 43.6% — insufficient alone for ULSD compliance |
| Capital Intensity | High — requires pressurized hydrogen reactor infrastructure and catalytic systems | Low to moderate — silica-gel or eggshell adsorbents require no hydrogen infrastructure |
| Key Patent Holders (Dataset) | Clean Planet Energy (GB/US/CA, 10+ records), Wastefront AS (NO, 3 records), Itelyum Regeneration S.p.A. (EP, 1 record) | NIT Karnataka (IN, 2 records), IIT Bombay (IN, 2 records) |
| Filing Activity Period | 2021–2026 (active and pending) | 2019–2024 (active IN filings) |
| Fuel Output Grade | Commercial ULSD, kerosene, naphtha, fuel oil — multiple on-specification cuts | Improved physicochemical properties for engine blending; does not achieve ULSD alone |
| Feedstock Flexibility | Handles mixed waste plastics and tire pyrolysis oil; adaptive control for variable feed quality | Primarily demonstrated on tire pyrolysis oil; scalable to other crude pyrolysis oils |
| Commercial Readiness | Most commercially advanced; Clean Planet Energy and Wastefront targeting industrial-scale operation | Academic/pilot-scale; IIT Bombay and NIT Karnataka filings target developing-market deployment |
| Market Geography | UK, Norway, US, CA as primary IP jurisdictions; EU via Itelyum | India (IN) as primary jurisdiction; applicable to markets with large tire waste and limited H2 availability |
Frequently Asked Questions — Waste Tire Pyrolysis Oil Upgrading
Crude TPO typically contains sulfur above 1.0 wt%, which is well above the 0.1 wt% regulatory limit for transportation fuels. This makes direct use in engines problematic without post-processing, and achieving ultra-low sulfur diesel specification is identified as the principal commercialization bottleneck across retrieved patents and literature.
Hydroprocessing combined with fractional distillation holds the strongest active patent position in this dataset. Clean Planet Energy (UK) holds 10+ records across GB, WO, US, CA, AU, and IN jurisdictions (2021–2026), and Wastefront AS (Norway) holds 3 active filings (WO 2022, US 2024, US 2025) specifically targeting waste tire pyrolysis oil desulfurization.
Oxidative desulfurization using S-ZrO2/SBA-15 catalyst with H2O2 oxidant achieves up to 59.49% sulfur removal, while photocatalytic routes using TiO2 achieve 43.6% removal. Both fall below the threshold required for direct ULSD compliance from a starting concentration above 1.0 wt%, making these approaches relevant as pre-treatment stages rather than standalone solutions.
Yes. Silica-gel adsorption was patented by the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (IN, 2019 and 2020) to remove polar compounds from crude TPO. IIT Bombay (IN, 2023 and 2024) developed a waste eggshell-derived calcium carbonate adsorbent that simultaneously reduces sulfur and PAH content — a circular approach applicable to markets where hydrogen infrastructure is absent.
Retrieved records identify three non-fuel applications: use as a bitumen rejuvenator in reclaimed asphalt pavement mixtures (documented in 2022 literature and a 2026 IN patent by Dare Pranoti Dipak); aromatic recovery of limonene and styrene for petrochemical use (documented in 2021–2023 literature but absent from dedicated patent filings in this dataset); and use as an injection stream for enhanced oil recovery (Plus5, Inc., US 2009).
India (IN) and the US each account for 7 filings in this dataset, with CA at 5 and WO at 4. Jeon Yeong Min’s portfolio of 9 records spanning WO, US, EP, CA, AU, IN, SG, and BR — covering carrier-gas pyrolysis reactor architecture and oil condensation — is now entirely inactive, representing a freedom-to-operate opportunity across all those jurisdictions.
Data and insights on this page are based on a limited patent and literature dataset and are for reference only. Figures may not represent the complete technology landscape.